Latest Veterans affairs News
Biden discusses abortion access options with Dem governors
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden told Democratic governors Friday that he is “looking at all the alternatives” for protecting abortion access following the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade. One day after returning from international summits in Europe, Biden...
Realignment of veterans' healthcare facilities on hold
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — Proposed changes in veterans' healthcare facilities in South Dakota and elsewhere are on hold for now. Some U.S. senators, including South Dakota's Mike Rounds and John Thune, have agreed to dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to...
Hofmeister, Stitt advance in Oklahoma governor’s race
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and Democrat Joy Hofmeister easily won their respective primary races on Tuesday, both taking advantage of massive fundraising advantages over their opponents in a state where hot-button issues like abortion, firearms and the death penalty are...
Veterans groups rip outhouse plans for North Dakota cemetery
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A coalition of veterans organizations is upset over plans to build an outhouse on the grounds of a national cemetery that borders North Dakota and Minnesota. The group said Tuesday it plans to file a formal complaint with the Department of Veterans Affairs over...
Manchin: Commission on veterans facilities to be dismantled
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A group of U.S. senators has agreed to effectively dismantle a commission tasked by the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out closures, downsizing and other significant medical facility changes nationwide, Sen. Joe Manchin said Monday. The West...
Expanded care in works for vets exposed to toxic substances
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The U.S. Senate has passed a proposal backed by Maine's senators to provide more care for military veterans who were exposed to toxic substances. Republican Sen. Susan Collins and independent Sen. Angus King were among the supporters of the proposal, which is...
Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board appoints new director
JACKSON, Miss (AP) — The Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board announced Thursday that it has appointed Mark Smith as new executive director. Smith had served as the agency’s interim executive director since May, when he replaced Stacey Pickering. Pickering, a former...
Black veteran groups seek policy agenda on racial inequities
As a young man in Memphis, Tennessee, Robert Dabney Jr. wanted to blaze a path that could set his family up for a better life. So two weeks after high school graduation in 1998, at age 18, he joined the U.S. Army. During nine years of service that included two tours in Iraq, Dabney...
Miss Georgia pageant has first special-needs contestant
COLUMBUS, Ga. (AP) — Kelsey Norris needs only one word to summarize her reaction to learning that she is the first candidate with an intellectual disability to qualify for the Miss Georgia Scholarship Competition in its 77-year history. “Happiness,” she told the...
Senate OKs enhanced benefits for vets exposed to burn pits
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate on Thursday approved a sweeping expansion of health care and disability benefits for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans in response to concerns about their exposure to toxic burn pits. Passage of the bill by a vote of 84-14 sets a course that could help...
